SEC commissioner threatens to break away unless changes enacted

Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive is ready to take his league and go elsewhere if the NCAA Division I board does not adopt sweeping changes that would lend autonomy to the five major conferences.

In his 13th year as SEC boss, Slive said he has built much of the bridge to the future he set out to establish when he was hired in 2002.

At the forefront of a movement to overhaul the NCAA's governing structure, Slive unscored the pressing importance for a radical renovation of college sports and repeated his intention to break away from the collegiate sports body if a series of proposed changes are not enacted.

"If we do not achieve a positive outcome under the existing big tent of Division I, we will need to consider the establishment of a venue with similar conferences and institutions where we can enact the desired changes in the best interest of our student athletes," Slive said Monday to open the 30th annual SEC Media Days at the Hyatt Regency in Hoover, Ala.

Slive said a vote by the board Aug. 7 involving the SEC and five major conferences, would present an opportunity to "forge a road to the future."

---Oklahoma State's football program is under NCAA investigation, ESPN.com reported.

According to ESPN.com, the investigation stems from a five-part series by Sports Illustrated in September that alleged improprieties in the program. After the report, Oklahoma State appointed Charles E. Smrt, a former NCAA official, to conduct an internal investigation. That investigation is nearing an end.

"The inquiry continues and it is hoped that it will conclude within the next few months," a university spokesman told ESPN. "The university anticipates releasing a report after the NCAA concludes its process. Since it is an ongoing inquiry conducted in cooperation with the NCAA, the university is unable to comment further at this time."

Sports Illustrated's series last September alleged several potential NCAA violations, but did not directly implicate any current coaches or players.

---One day after world futbol handed out its coveted prize, a new American football trophy was revealed.

The College Football Playoff, which will determine a national champion beginning in January, unveiled its hardware in Irving, Texas.

The trophy, which stands 2 feet tall and weighs 35 pounds, contains gold, bronze and stainless steel features that rise up in a football shape. The 12-inch, 30-pound base, from which the trophy can be removed during celebrations, is made of bronze with a black patina finish.

---For the first time in seven years, the Auburn Tigers expected to start the same quarterback in consecutive seasons.

But the streak of constant turnover could continue after Nick Marshall, a Heisman Trophy candidate in coach Gus Malzahn's spread offense, was cited for marijuana possession. Tight end C.J. Uzomah replaced Marshall at SEC media days.

"Nick lost that privilege," Malzahn said. "We have high expectations for our players, but specifically our quarterback being the face of the program. Up until last Friday, Nick had been a model student, teammate and citizen. Nick made a mistake and he'll have to deal with the consequences."

Malzahn said he wasn't at the point to share the specifics of Marshall's punishment.

---Florida head coach Will Muschamp is on the hot seat, and there are two men likely to be most responsible for lowering the temperature: quarterback Jeff Driskell and first-year offensive coordinator Kurt Roper.

"It falls on my shoulders, going through it, " Muschamp said during SEC Media Days. "There'll be a lot of chatter about hot seat business. The way you combat that is having a good football team, which we're going to have, and winning football games, which is what we're going to do."

There was plenty of blame to go around in 2013, with a 4-8 finish (3-5 SEC record) -- the worst since 1979. The Gators lost to Georgia Southern and eight starters went down to season-ending injuries.